Ships and personnel from the US, Spain, Germany and France concluded the four-day Smart Defense Exercise (SMARTEX) on September 28. SMARTEX is a NATO initiative designed to enhance interoperability and training between participating countries. During the exercise, Spanish sailors embarked aboard the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64) to observe exercise events and train […] Read more

Royal Navy destroyer HMS Diamond got underway from Portsmouth on September 29 for maritime security operations in the Mediterranean Sea. The Type 45 destroyer will provide reassurance to allies in the region throughout the autumn. The deployment follows a busy few months for HMS Diamond and her crew, who spent most of the summer operating […] Read more

French Navy frigate FS Floreal has seized over 7 tons of hashish from two dhows in the Indian Ocean on September 23 and 24. According to Combined Maritime Forces, the drugs are valued at $3.5m, based on street values in Yemen, which was the expected destination for the hashish. This is the most significant seizure of […] Read more

French shipbuilder Naval Group announced it will showcase its Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) 90 at ADEX 2018 exhibition taking place in Azerbaijan this week. According to local media reports, Azerbaijan’s defense officials have started talks with a number of French defense contractors regarding the acquisition of vessels, missiles and mine countermeasures equipment. Naval Group argues […] Read more

The German Navy’s frigate Augsburg (F213) will set sail for the Mediterranean Sea next week to participate in the EUNAVFOR MED operation Sophia. The Bremen-class ship is scheduled to depart its Wilhelmshaven homeport on Monday, September 17. Following an extensive training program, Augsburg is to replace the navy’s tender Mosel which joined the EU-led operation […] Read more

Royal Navy’s auxiliary ship RFA Mounts Bay has landed a team of UK military personnel ashore in Martinique, an insular region of France, to train in hurricane relief with their French counterparts. The training comes one year after the devastating impact of hurricanes Irma and Maria in the Caribbean. Currently midway through her three-year deployment […] Read more

Video: Portuguese Navy The Portuguese Navy has scuttled its former corvette NRP Afonso Cerqueira (F488), thus producing an artificial reef. The ship, sunk on September 4, will now become part of Cabo Girão, a marine natural park in Madeira. As explained, the wreck will serve as an attraction for divers, supporting marine life in Cabo Girão. The […] Read more

The Croatian Navy has sent the first contingent of troops to participate in the NATO maritime security operation Sea Guardian in the Mediterranean Sea. A ceremony for the navy’s warship, RTOP-41 Vukovar, and her crew of 50, was held in Split on September 3, Croatian defense ministry said in a statement. Following the ceremony, the ship […] Read more

Just days after media reports on Russia’s naval buildup in the Mediterranean Sea first emerged, the country’s defense ministry on Thursday announced a large-scale drill in the Mediterranean. Prior to the defense ministry’s announcement, the Russian Navy was said to have a little over ten warships sailing off the coast of Syria as the country’s […] Read more

Spanish Navy’s F-100 frigate Cristóbal Colón got underway from her homeport in Ferrol on August 25 to join NATO’s Standing Maritime Group 2 in the Mediterranean Sea. The Aegis-equipped frigate will first contribute to the maritime situational awareness picture and counter-terrorism operations in the Med as part of operation Sea Guardian. Cristóbal Colón will then join other […] Read more

Denmark’s defense ministry announced on Friday it’s intention to deploy one of its frigates to France where it would join the French Navy aircraft carrier FS Charles de Gaulle for exercises in early 2019. Early 2019 is when the Marine Nationale’s sole aircraft carrier is expected to make a return to the fleet after an […] Read more

The Russian Navy’s Black Sea Fleet corvette Vyshny Volochyok transited the Bosphorus on August 16 to start her first Mediterranean Sea deployment. The Buyan-M class vessel is starting the deployment after entering service in May this year and becoming the first corvette in its class to join the Black Sea Fleet. Vyshny Volochyok is also the sixth […] Read more

After ceding command over the EU-led counter-piracy operation Atalanta off the Horn of Africa to the Spanish Navy, the Italian Navy has deployed its newest FREMM frigate – ITS Federico Martinengo – to support the mission. The frigate got underway from its homeport in Taranto and joined the operation on August 11. Federico Martinengo is expected […] Read more

Italian authorities have found 20 tons of hashish after intercepting a Panama-flagged research ship, the country’s law enforcement agency said. On 9 August, Italian police units intercepted research ship Remus in the Mediterranean Sea. The ship was taken to Palermo in Sicily for further investigation, according to Guardia di Finanza. Following the investigation, the authorities […] Read more

US Navy Blue Ridge-class command and control ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20) returned to her forward-deployed homeport of Gaeta, Italy, after five months of operations. Mount Whitney departed Gaeta Feb. 27, to conduct naval operations in the US 6th Fleet area of operations in Europe and Africa. “It’s good to be back home after […] Read more

The EU-led counter-piracy operation off the coast of Somalia has welcomed its new flagship from the Spanish Navy. On August 6, Spainßs Galicia-class landing platform dock ESPS Castilla joined the operation Atalanta which received a new force commander on the same day. Rear Admiral Alfonso Nanclares from the Spanish Navy assumed command of operation Atalanta’s Force […] Read more

US Navy Blue Ridge-class command and control ship USS Mount Whitney (LCC 20) returned to her forward-deployed homeport of Gaeta, Italy, after five months of operations. Mount Whitney departed Gaeta Feb. 27, to conduct naval operations in the US 6th Fleet area of operations in Europe and Africa. “It’s good to be back home after […] Read more

The Portuguese Navy’s newest-commissioned offshore patrol vessel NRP Sines has arrived at her homeport at Lisboa naval base for the first time. Sines and her crew arrived on August 4, and will soon start operational training (Plano de Treino Operacional in Portuguese). Though the ship officially entered service at the West Sea Shipyards site on […] Read more

The Italian Navy has discovered a World War I submarine that was accidentally sunk by a British warship in 1917. Pacinotti-class submarine ‘Guglielmotti’ was found in the Tyrrhenian Sea, near the island of Capraia, where it had been lying for over a century. Gugliemotti was found by minehunter Gaeta, at a depth of 400 meters and […] Read more

The Italian Navy has discovered a World War I submarine that was accidentally sunk by a British warship in 1917. Pacinotti-class submarine ‘Guglielmotti’ was found in the Tyrrhenian Sea, near the island of Capraia, where it had been lying for over a century. Gugliemotti was found by minehunter Gaeta, at a depth of 400 meters and […] Read more